Transcript Highlights:

• One of them is a Bowser easement.
• One of them is a Bowser easement.
• It includes two outdoor easement.
• ><c> that</c><00:07:19.199><c> are</c> heritage fund easements that are heritage fund easements that
• </c> placement of a DNR trout stream easement placement of a DNR trout stream easement on<00:07:38.400

Summary: The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council met on May 27, 2026, approved the January 7 minutes and the day’s agenda, and reported no conflicts of interest. The executive director gave staff updates, including introductions of new staff member Cara Castanza and DNR liaison Jason Co., both of whom were welcomed by the council. Members were also informed about three minor easement/conveyance matters in the packet, including a small Bowser easement impact with about $1,600 returned to the Outdoor Heritage Fund, a Minnesota Land Trust easement request involving a DNR trout stream easement, and an access easement revision in Itasca County. The council also noted several upcoming dedication events and a June field tour in southeast Minnesota beginning in Winona on June 16, with visits to Whitewater WMA, bluff prairie and stream sites, and a river segment if a boat is secured. A major agenda item was a legislative session recap on the Outdoor Heritage Fund portion of Senate File 2077, the omnibus Outdoor Heritage Fund, Legacy, and Lands bill. Staff reported that all council recommendations were incorporated into the bill, which passed both chambers on May 17 and was expected to be signed by the governor. The fiscal year 2027 Outdoor Heritage Fund recommendations covered 53 programs totaling about $188.9 million, with the February forecast increasing the appropriation slightly so the final total was about $191.16 million; eligible programs were proportionately increased. Staff also highlighted a few changes made during the legislative process, including adjustments to the Roso Lake rehabilitation phase three project, the conservation partners legacy grant language, and statutory provisions affecting the council. The recap also covered policy changes in the bill: a public member term limit of eight years, with a short vacancy exception and transition rules for current members; a revised executive director hiring process allowing the Legislative Coordinating Commission to provide support while preserving the council’s final hiring authority and permitting closed meetings for candidate discussions; and an extension of the Upper Mississippi River invasive carp deterrent design deadline to June 30, 2027. Members discussed the Roso Lake amendment at length, with Senator Lang and Representative Burkel explaining that the added delay and injunction-related language were intended to address local concerns and preserve the council’s process while litigation proceeds. The meeting ended without any additional formal action beyond receiving the updates and discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, years and years and years trying to get easement. Still not done. >> Mr.
• </c> easement. Still not done. easement. Still not done.
• I think in earnest um on easements.
• easements for that &gt;&gt; well<01:00:32.960><c> Mr.
• </c> that are uh that we need easements that are uh that we need easements through<01:01:10.880><c> aren't

Bills: HB0078 , SF0012 , SF0013 , SF0052 , SF0069 , SF0070

Committee: Senate Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• And third, it would entitle the owner of the land to a conservation easement for the cemetery.
• When we talk about the granting of an easement requiring a private property owner to give an easement
• It would be an easement Representative Driskell: for ingress egress, which is more so about access.
• If the county needed to acquire, for example, a temporary construction easement for ingress and egress
• So if the land had a cemetery and we knew that it was there, there would already be an easement.

Transcript Highlights:

• We have been around since 1997, and we do about one conservation easement a year.
• Sometimes the easement covers the entire property, sometimes it covers just a portion.
• But does this In order for them to qualify, they have an easement with you.
• So, there's a conservation easement, which is the effect of a negative easement.
• Do they just now that this easement, they can't be used or what happens if they.

Committee: Joint Revenue Stabilization & Tax Policy Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> easements for electricity delivery. easements for electricity delivery.
• c> these</c><00:10:34.079><c> situations</c> easement saying in these situations easement saying in these
• We're talking about non-recorded easements and we're trying to create prescriptive easements, which are
• ><c> we're</c><00:19:22.400><c> trying</c> non-recorded easements and we're trying non-recorded easements
• ,</c><00:19:24.160><c> which</c> to create prescriptive easements, which to create prescriptive easements

Bills: SF0099 , SF0116 , SJ0006

Committee: Senate Judiciary

Transcript Highlights:

• We have been around since 1997, and we do about one conservation easement a year.
• So a conservation easement is the effect..." "...of a negative easement.
• So there's a conservation easement is the effect of a negative easement.
• That's typically not covered in the easement.
• The easement, if your conservation value is agriculture and it relies on water...

Summary: The committee’s final day focused first on a historical overview of New Mexico tax packages by Pam Stokes of Legislative Council Services. She described how tax packages have alternated over the decades between tax relief, revenue raising, and tax reform, with examples ranging from the creation of the gross receipts tax in 1966 to major packages in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1994, 2005, 2019, 2022, 2024, and the vetoed 2025 package. Members discussed how tax policy often tracks revenue conditions, how packages can combine increases and decreases, and how local government gross receipts taxes and hold-harmless distributions have affected communities differently. Several members reflected on past packages, especially the 2004 food tax repeal and the 2013 film tax and manufacturing changes, and noted that tax policy can have major economic and political effects even when it is not “sexy” legislation. The committee then heard a proposal to expand the health care practitioner gross receipts tax deduction to include co-insurance, and to extend the sunset date. Sponsor Senator Figueroa said the bill was intended to help recruit and retain medical providers and build on prior deductions for co-pays and deductibles. Testimony explained that co-insurance is the patient’s share after the deductible, that providers currently absorb the gross receipts tax on those payments, and that the proposal would cost about $30 million to the state plus about $20 million to municipalities and counties, with the exact fiscal impact likely to be updated. Members raised concerns about the effect on local governments, whether insurers could be required to reimburse providers, whether the bill would actually attract doctors, and whether better evaluation measures and sunsets should be added. The sponsor said the bill was part of a broader set of efforts to address provider shortages and that the discussion would continue. Representative McQueen then presented a bill to update the Land Conservation Incentives Act. He and conservation partners said the program has protected more than 500,000 acres but has not kept pace with rising land values, especially for irrigated agricultural land in the Middle Rio Grande. The proposal would increase the percentage of conservation value eligible for the credit, raise the per-transaction cap from $250,000 to $2 million, and make the credit refundable rather than only transferable. Testimony emphasized that the program is voluntary, keeps land in private ownership and production, and helps land-rich, cash-poor landowners preserve farmland and water rights. Members asked about average credit amounts, how easements work, whether landowners could effectively buy land and then use the credit, and whether there should be inflation indexing or a statewide cap. The discussion also touched on water rights, fencing, and the role of conservation easements in protecting agricultural land and compact water deliveries. Finally, Senator Sharer previewed his 2% tax proposal with a historical presentation on New Mexico tax law, using props to illustrate the evolution from early territorial tax codes to the modern tax system. He argued that the state’s current tax structure is overly complex and that recent federal changes have disrupted the personal income tax base. The committee did not take any votes on the day’s presentations; the meeting was primarily informational, with members offering feedback and raising policy concerns for future sessions.

Transcript Highlights:

• The amendments will establish the price DNR must pay for easements to access trout stream easements and
• native prairie bank easement areas.
• <00:05:07.520><c> to</c><00:05:07.760><c> access</c> easements to access easements to access trout<00
• </c> trout stream easements and native trout stream easements and native prairie<00:05:11.520><c> bank
• </c> prairie bank easement areas. prairie bank easement areas.

Bills: HF3643 , HF3426 , HF4222 , HF4224

Committee: House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• Related to release of conservation easements.
• Just the conservation easement. Thank you. Be with us. >> The okay.
• easements for years during development process.
• But the drainage easement or a conservation easement or whatever is given a buy land owner to the district
• Folks understand beach access, easements versus beach easements. Very, very different.

Transcript Highlights:

• They were created back in the early 1900s, some in the late 1800s, and they have easements throughout
• back then and those kind of deals, or was it, did they, did they pay for those easements, do you know
• Actually, a lot of easements have been abandoned, but they still charge for crossing that easement, and
• House Bill 2018 clarifies that the program is intended solely for purchasing conservation easements on
• We as an association clearly recognize the importance of voluntary conservation easements as a tool to

Bills: HB2018 , HB1633 , HB1689 , SB612 , SB3058

Committee: Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Summary: The Senate Water, Agriculture, Rural Affairs Committee heard several bills focused on groundwater management, water infrastructure, and agricultural land conservation. SB 612 would limit certain water districts in Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties from charging developers pipeline construction fees above actual, documented costs; the committee substitute removed a developer challenge mechanism to preserve district discretion over construction standards. HB 1633 would require groundwater conservation districts to consider registered exempt wells when reviewing or amending permits, and testimony from landowners, district representatives, and advocacy groups largely supported the bill as a way to protect domestic and livestock wells from drawdown caused by large export projects. HB 1689 would clarify that export fee revenues may be used for well operability, alternative water supplies, and aquifer monitoring, including through interlocal cooperation, and HB 3058 would give the Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District authority to use export fees for county road improvements and environmental programs tied to well inspection and groundwater management. HB 2018 would clarify that the Texas Farm and Ranchland Conservation Program is intended to purchase conservation easements only on working agricultural lands, with support from cattle raisers and Farm Bureau representatives. The committee also considered HB 29, which would require large water systems to validate water loss audits and submit mitigation plans; a committee substitute removed the water-loss threshold and adjusted the timeline for more detailed validation. Public testimony on the bills was generally supportive, with several witnesses describing declining well levels, road damage from export projects, and the need to preserve agricultural land and local water supplies. The committee adopted committee substitutes and voted favorably on HB 29, HB 1689, HB 2018, SB 612, and SB 3058, recommending several of them for the local and uncontested calendar; HB 1633 was left pending awaiting a committee substitute.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> if they cannot finish this easement if they cannot finish this easement issue<00:43:28.079><c> by
• You know, it's been we'll have these easements next year.
• Next year comes around, we'll have these easements in place next year.
• We'll have those easements comes around.
• But that was all because of easements. We have it in the Constitution.

Transcript Highlights:

• What this bill does is it allows imminent domain for easements.
• It does not apply if you already own the property and somebody has a signage easement or a road.
• I will have an amendment on the floor that removes utility easements.
• I meant to have that ready today, but we just want to have signage or roadway easements.
• To get that right-of-way, we just need to make the necessary adjustments with the easement.

Bills: SB185 , SB194 , SB72

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

Keywords: veterinary medicine, veterinarian-client-patient relationship, prescription refills, animal care, regulatory compliance, agriculture authority, eminent domain, property rights, tax exemption, agriculture center, medical cannabis, cannabis license, integrated facility license, Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, AMCC, medical marijuana, dispensary, cultivation, processing, license appeal

Transcript Highlights:

• 36.000><c> into</c> only the initial project but for into only the initial project but for into perpetuity
• uh because remember the perpetuity uh because remember the wetlands<01:36:38.639><c> that</c><01:36:
• c> banking</c> Senator Green asked whether, when farmers agree to this arrangement, they have an easement
• Bowser restores the wetland land, the farmer still owns it or whether Bowser owns it and has an easement
• The speaker then asked whether farmers still pay taxes on land that has an easement on it.

Committee: Senate Environment, Climate, and Legacy

Transcript Highlights:

• We're going with HB 673, Release of Conservation Easements by Speaker Pro Tem Duggan, you are recognized
• It deals with situations where a property owner puts a conservation easement on a property.
• surface, you can ask the, you can get the water management district to release the conservation easement
• The amendment requires property owners of land released from a conservation easement and subsequently
• And it provides a definition of proprietary conservation easements. That is the amendment.

Transcript Highlights:

• There is a local Citizens Council responsible for making sure the conservation easement is enforced.
• is enforced um conservation easement is enforced um they<00:09:25.920><c> just</c><00:09:26.720><c>
• that um is uh that conservation easement that um is uh that basically<00:10:18.040><c> um</c><00:10:
• um New Hampshire fishing game easement um New Hampshire fishing game opposed<00:10:40.079><c> it</c>
• Easements that are already existing, and how people that are driving these larger vehicles will know

Summary: The committee began with housekeeping about report deadlines and bill scheduling, noting that reports should be submitted as soon as possible, ideally by Friday night, so they can be reviewed and filed on time. The chair explained the process for Democratic and Republican reports, reviewed the timing sheet for early bills, and said the committee was trying to stay on schedule to avoid hearings during vacation week. He also shared his contact information for questions. The committee then moved into executive session on 10 bills. On HB 13, relative to OHRV operation on certain highways in Windsor, the committee voted unanimously to retain the bill after the prime sponsor asked that it be held for possible local action. On HB 127, extending the closing date of OHRV trails on the Connecticut River headquarters property from September 30 to Columbus Day, members debated economic benefits for Pittsburgh versus concerns about local control, conservation easements, and hunting impacts. The committee voted 11-5 ought to pass; the chair noted it would not go on consent and would have a fiscal note. On HB 174, increasing the maximum weight of a utility terrain vehicle to 3,500 pounds unladen dry weight, supporters argued the change could help accommodate electric vehicles and heavier equipment, while opponents raised concerns about undefined terms, enforcement, private landowner rights, and unintended consequences. The committee voted 8-7 ought to pass. On HB 203, requiring C-COT approved personal flotation devices while on New Hampshire state waters, the committee heard a split between members who emphasized personal responsibility and those who said the bill would improve safety and education and could reduce drowning deaths. The motion to ITL failed 11-5, meaning the committee rejected the motion to kill the bill and advanced it instead. The transcript then moved on to HB 332, allowing for the establishment of a village district, but the discussion of that bill was not included in the provided excerpt.

Transcript Highlights:

• And we just have some really great stories to tell since that easement closed at the end of 2023.
• And this is a easement on that property.
• closed at the end um since that easement closed at the end of<00:32:33.600><c> 2023.
• And that's conserving farmland through voluntary conservation easements.
• and conservation easements and protect lands.

Summary: The committee first took up a public hearing and presentation on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Shannon Hall of the Department for Community Based Services and Rick Baker of Community Action Kentucky explained that LIHEAP is a 100% federally funded block grant that helps low-income households pay heating and cooling bills, avoid utility disconnects, and support weatherization. They outlined the program’s components, eligibility limits, seasonal application periods, and recent participation figures, including tens of thousands of households served through the summer cooling, fall subsidy, winter crisis, and spring subsidy components. They also described weatherization priorities, the partnership with Kentucky Housing Corporation, and the role of Community Action agencies in administering the program statewide. Members asked about Assurance 16, the balance between need and available funding, summer cooling assistance, weatherization measurement, renter versus homeowner participation, and whether federal changes could affect LIHEAP. Hall and Baker said Assurance 16 supports energy-burden reduction through education, case management, and conservation strategies; that funding has generally been sufficient in recent years but crisis funds have sometimes been exhausted quickly in the past; and that summer assistance is primarily electric utility support. They also said weatherization uses return-on-investment testing and that Kentucky still has a large backlog of homes needing service. On federal funding, they said the recently passed federal bill did not directly cut LIHEAP, but future appropriations could still affect it, and any major reduction could leave a gap the state might need to consider filling. The committee approved the minutes and later approved the LIHEAP finding of fact; no members of the public signed up to testify. After concluding LIHEAP, the committee heard a presentation from Heather Jeff of The Nature Conservancy on conservation opportunities in Kentucky. She described the organization’s voluntary land-protection work and highlighted the Cumberland Forest project, a conservation easement on about 55,000 acres in Bell, Knox, and Leslie counties supported in part by a $3.875 million state appropriation. She also reported on mine-land reforestation, elk habitat work, and the rapid allocation of a $2 million appropriation for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. Jeff emphasized the economic value of conservation for tourism, hunting and fishing, agriculture, forestry, bourbon, and flood protection, and said the group is finalizing a Kentucky conservation needs assessment and related feasibility research.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is this ongoing or perpetual, effectively every year, to backfill that? Thank you, Mr.

Transcript Highlights:

• In this updated version, it talks about pipeline easements, the updated version talks about pipeline
• easements, what landowners have the right to know, and what the condemners should include.
• And what landowners were most concerned about is there were a lot of different easement forms that were
• And what, what landowners were most concerned about is there were a lot of different easement forms that
• But the legislature wanted them to have that statutory form of easement, where they feel comfortable

Bills: HB5489 , HB5695 , HB5699 , SB291 , SB292

Committee: House Land & Resource Management

Keywords: impact fee, moratorium, local government, Texas legislation, infrastructure funding, municipal utility district, eminent domain, bonds, assessments, infrastructure, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Harris County, Municipal Utility District, territory exclusion, debt service taxes, property taxation, condemnation, property acquisition, real property, appraisal reports

Transcript Highlights:

• One of the challenges that we face as a land grant is easement issues.
• So I would call upon this panel and other legislators to consider legislation for easement rights for
• One last question, Madam Chair, is on the request for the the easement issues.
• Absolutely, we'll look into the easement question as well.
• Let's start with the easement rights.

Committee: House House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• The House bill authorizing the grant of easements in or taking of certain parcels of land in the city
• The House bill, authorizing the grant of easement, The House bill authorizing the grant of easements
• An act authorizing the grant of easements in or taking of certain parcels of land to the City of Boston
• An act authorizing the grant of easements or taking of certain parcels of land to the City of Boston.

Transcript Highlights:

• It has to do with issuing a 25-year easement for state submerged lands in front of private property.
• </c><00:26:47.039><c> um</c><00:26:47.279><c> for</c> issuing a 25-year um easement um for issuing a
• 25-year um easement um for personal<00:26:49.559><c> for</c><00:26:50.559><c> state</c><00:26:50.799>
• This specific easement is because the structure that's currently there now functions as a seawall.
• Um, this is issuance of an easement, which again has to do with personal property and the...